The Newest of Realities
by The Drunk Pixie
Summary: Jennifer Tabitha Kirk, 4-years-old when her father dies on the U.S.S. Kelvin. Now she must live her life with the consequences. McCoy/Bones/OC, SpockOC friendship, Chulu, Kirk/Chapel, Spock/Nyota. Rated for language and lemon/smut in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi... yeah, you guys hate me right now, I'm certain of it. I confess, I'm an idiot. I should have NEVER watched _Star Trek (2009)_ twice in four days. Doing so caused me to write 15,000 words in five days (- what happens when I do something to pump my mind full of inspiration). So, I apologize for my wee bit of flakiness, but I'll post the new chapter for QotD tomorrow, promise (it's already written, I just have to post it). I need to just get this McCoy story outta my system.**

**By the way, there are a lot of things that go on between Jen and Spock during their years together at the Academy that are not going to be mentioned, but brought out later through later chapters. Also, I'm going to probably speed right through the movie to get on with the rest of the story. Drama will be prominent; missions will take the back-burner.**

**Spock: *raises eyebrow* What is this back-burner you speak of?**

****McCoy: *smirk*****

**Me: Hehe, I'll explain later, Spock.**

* * *

><p>Little Jenny stood next to her mother, listening to her heavy breathing and watching as sweat poured out over her face. She seemed to be in pain, but all that Mommy said was that the baby was coming. Daddy wasn't there; he was on duty up on the bridge. A few minutes later, doctors came running in. One of the nurses was kind enough to lead Jenny out by the hand.<p>

Mommy used a communicator to call Daddy, and let Jenny talk to him.

"Daddy?"

"Hi Jenny."

"What's going on?"

"The baby's coming, sweetheart. It's gonna hurt Mommy some, but she's strong, she'll be okay."

"Okay, Daddy. Mommy wants to talk to you."

They got to Sick Bay only for the ship to shake several times and the nurses to start panicking. Mommy tried to figure out what was going on; while Jenny sat in the corner with the teddy bear Daddy had given her last week. There was about 15 minutes of peace after, and then the ship shook again. Suddenly, Daddy's voice came on over the speakers overhead.

"All decks, this is the Captain speaking, evacuate the ship immediately!" Jenny's ears perked up.

"Daddy got a promotion!"

A minute later, Mommy was being wheeled out of Sick Bay with Jenny at her heals.

"That's George's voice. What's happening?" Mommy asked.

"We'll deliver in the shuttle, go!"

Mommy called Daddy again.

"George!"

"You're okay, thank God. I've medical shuttle 37 standing by. Get to it now, can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Everything's gonna be okay. Do exactly as I say, shuttle 37."

"George… it's coming… our baby… It's coming now."

"I'm on my way."

Mommy hung up, and screamed and hollered as they ran down the halls of the Kelvin.

"That was a big one." Jenny heard Mommy comment.

"Just keep breathing, you'll be fine."

"And the baby too, right?"

"And the baby too."

Jenny didn't have time to marvel at all the wonderful things she saw, she had to focus on following Mommy, because the doctor's were running too fast for her to keep up. Finally, Mommy asked where her baby – this time meaning Jenny – was, and a big, male nurse scooped her up and carried her rest of the way to the shuttle craft.

Mommy kept hollering as they got her out of the chair and onto a white bed. Jenny stood by, holding Mommy's hand. Suddenly, the shuttle started to lift.

"Wait! We can't go yet!" Mommy called to the man who had carried Jenny but was now acting as their pilot. "Please stop, stop." She tried to say, but her breathing was so labored it came out as gasps. Mommy got out the communicator again. "George, the shuttle's leaving, where are you?"

"Sweetheart, listen to me, I'm not gonna be there." Mommy muttered out a 'no'. "This is the only way you'll survive." Jenny's eyebrows furrowed in thought and confusion.

"Please don't stay on the ship, you have to be here."

"The shuttle's will never make it if I don't fight them off!"

"George… I can't do this without you."

"Okay, I need you to push _now_." The doctor with big eyes suddenly said. Jenny took the communicator away and replaced it with her hand as Mommy hollered.

"Daddy?" She asked into the communicator again.

"Honey, I need you to do something for Daddy. Something important. I need you to be strong for Mommy, just like Daddy, since I can't be there. Can you do that? Just hold Mommy's hand, even if it hurts."

"Okay Daddy. I love you." She heard a choked sob on the other end.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Mommy screamed and screamed like Jenny had never heard anyone scream before. All the while, even though it felt like if Mommy gripped her hand any harder she might break it; Jenny held fast and refused to let the pain register on her face. Finally, another voice cried out, and Mommy was handed a baby. Jenny wondered where it came from.

"What is it?" Daddy's voice came over the communicator again, and Jenny held it up so Mommy could talk.

"It's a boy."

"A boy?" Daddy said excitedly. "Tell me about him."

"He's beautiful." Mommy started crying, "George, you should be here."

"What are we gonna call him?"

"We could name him after your father…" Mommy said a bit distantly.

"Tiberius? You kiddin' me? No, that's the worst. Let's name him after your Dad, let's call him Jim. Like Jenny." She smiled at the mention of her name.

"Jim and Jenny? Okay, Jim it is." A pause.

"Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you!"

"I love you so much. I love you-"A crash was heard, then the line went dead. Jenny looked out the window to see a huge, black ship that bared resemblance to a jellyfish, with fire around its middle. It's an image she'll never forget. She wondered in the back of her mind what happened to cause the fire as Mommy cried.

_Twelve years later, in Iowa…_

Jenny screams out her pure adrenaline as the antique car rips out of the driveway. Jim, who's driving next to her, seems to be much calmer as they race down the road. She's not sure how the 12-year-old convinced the 16-year-old to let him drive, but at this point, she doesn't care. The phone in the car rings, and Jim picks it up.

"Hey, are you out of your mind? That car's an antique! You think you can get away with this just because you're mother's off planet? You get your ass back home, _now_. You live in my house, kids" Her blood boiled at the sound of the term, "You live in my house, and that's _my car. _You get one scratch on that car, and I'm gonna whip your as-"Jim hung up. Then turned on their stepdad's rock music. Then, just for kicks, the duo opened up the panels on top of the car, causing the convertible hood to fly off. The two looked at each other, looked back at the road, and then screamed out their pure joy at their own rebellion, their blonde hair flipping past in the wind, electric blue eyes alive for the first time.

They passed a kid from Jim's school on their way, who was obviously hitchhiking. Jim honked the horn, and the two waved at him as they passed. Just seconds later, a cop on a hover bike approached, sirens blazing. He looked at Jim.

"Citizen, pull over." Instead, James suddenly turned onto a dirt path.

"Oh shit." Jenny said with a giggle. "We're in trouble now!" James gunned it as the cop tried to catch up again. They both, at the same instant, realized that they were headed straight for a cliff. She looked at him. "You ready?" He looked over at her.

"Let's do this!"

She started to climb over, and James scooted up in his chair so she could crouch behind him in the seat. He slammed on the break and sent the car into a spin as she flung open the door. The two dived out as the car went reeling over the edge. Jenny managed to stop herself before falling over the edge, never more grateful for the muscles her years of dance lessons had given her, but Jim wasn't so lucky. He was barely hanging on, and she reached around to help him up. The two stood up and faced the cop, both glancing back over the edge as they heard a loud 'thud' from the bottom of the canyon.

"There a problem, officer?" Jim asked.

"Citizens, what are your names?"

"My name is James Tiberius Kirk!"

"And I'm Jennifer Tabitha Kirk!"

Four years later, Jenny would be saying goodbye to Jim as she left for Starfleet, having decided to enlist. Five years later, she graduated from Starfleet Academy with degrees in Engineering and Computer Programming. The only thing she found interesting in the Programming courses was her partner, a half-human half-Vulcan named Spock who was a year younger than her. They became friends and kept up with each other, agreeing to have lunch twice a week between their classes. She would attempt to explain the intricacies of human behavior while he would teach her about the Vulcan culture. She commented several times that he would make an excellent teacher one day.

After she graduated at the age of 25, Jenny spent a year on the USS Farragut, during which she became the proverbial right hand of their chief engineer, and promoted to Lieutenant Commander. She requested R&R on Earth so that she could see Spock graduate (as, unfortunately, she was unable to visit home do to the fact that Iowa and San Francisco are so far apart, but she did manage to call home twice during her week there). After the ceremony, the young Vulcan told her that he had been offered a teaching job on campus, and asked her to stay to be his assistant to which she immediately agreed.

Even though she had liked space, Jenny found that she liked the teacher's assistant job much better. She could visit home during breaks; she only occasionally had to stand in front of a class, and rarely had to talk. She only lectured when Spock got sick (which was virtually never). She also met and befriended Captain Christopher Pike, who had written a dissertation on the "Kelvin-incident" and was excited to meet her, although he wisely didn't show it. After their first conversation, Jenny agreed to have one long conversation discussing what had happened, but after she would like for him to not bring it up again, as she had lived her entire life living in her father's shadow and was ready to be free of it. He respectfully granted her request.

She spent a year working for Spock at Starfleet Academy. During which, the _USS Enterprise_ began construction at Riverside, a small town not far from where Jenny had grown up. Pike mentioned to her that he would be going there to oversee construction, and she asked if she could accompany him. He agreed on the condition that she stay in Riverside, and eventually go on to join him on the _Enterprise _in space as his chief engineer. She agreed on the condition that he takes out the 'chief' part.

One evening, they headed down to the Riverside bar. Jenny hadn't been down yet because she'd been so swamped with paperwork concerning construction and personnel, and Pike had decided she needed a break. In the midst of this, however, she had somehow found time to take a few pictures and write a letter to 'Mom' (her affectionate term for Spock, as he, being more responsible than she, had taken it upon himself to look out for her while they were at school together).

When they arrived, things weren't in good condition. Pike whistled to get the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hey, Fruitcake! Hands off my brother!" Jenny shouted as she got into the young man's face who had been just laying into one James T. Kirk, gripped him by his shirt, lifted him off the ground in the way Spock had taught her (as 'Mom' had decided it might be best for her to learn some personal defense), and threw him against an opposing wall. Pike waited patiently until she returned to his side. The cadets all stood at attention.

"See to your brother, Commander." He said to her without turning, "Then go outside where these insubordinate cadets will be waiting for you to hear your reprimand." They all silently filed out, 'Fruitcake' with an expression of fear on his face. Pike stepped forward as Jenny rushed to Jim's side. "You alright, son?"

"You can whistle really loud, y'know that?"

_A couple of hours later…_

Jenny had already mopped up her brother's face, seen to his minor concussion, treated his other wounds with whatever was on hand, and then gone outside and gave the cadets a good talking-to about unprovoked attacks, anger management, drunkenness, what that pretty uniform they're wearing means, and violence. She then dismissed them, telling them to go straight back to their rooms and get some shut eye, as they'd all be making up for this in the morning, starting with helping repair some of the damage they'd caused. A few grumbled, but said nothing. Soon as they had all pretty much gotten back in their cars and left, she went back inside to catch the end of Pike and James' conversation.

"… but you feel like you were meant for something better. Something special." James is quiet. "Enlist in Starfleet."

"Enlist?" The younger man replied with a laugh as Jenny came and sat down next to Pike. "You guys must be way down on your recruiting quota for the month." She laughed behind her hand.

"If you're half the man your father was, Jim, Starfleet could use you. Look at your sister, Lieutenant Commander Jennifer T. Kirk, an officer in four years, proved to be one of the best engineers in Starfleet in five. You could do the same, and have your own ship in eight. You understand what the Federation is, don't you? It's important. It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada-"

"Are we done?" Jenny seriously considered telling him off for talking to Pike like that, but at the same time, this _was_ Jim.

"I'm done." Pike said as he stood. "Riverside Shipyard. Shuttle for new recruit's leaves tomorrow at 0800." He lets out a little laugh as Jim mock salutes him with his glass. "Y'know your father was captain of a ship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives. Including your mother's, and yours. I dare you to do better." He looked down at Jenny, "You coming?" She glanced at Jim, and then looked up at him.

"No, I think I'll go back home for tonight. Drop in on Mom." He nodded, and clapped her shoulder.

"See you tomorrow. 0600." She nodded. She and Jim didn't speak for the rest of the night.

_The next morning…_

Jenny had already arrived at the Shipyard and been there for two and a half hours by the time Jim arrived. She was standing at the shuttle, preparing to leave, standing next to Captain Pike when he pulled up on his bike and gave it away to a stranger.

"Four years?" He asked as he walked past them, "I'll do it in three." Pike gave Jenny a smile, and she shrugged her shoulders in a, I-don't-know-what-happened sort of way.

She headed inside behind her brother, as she had been assigned to watch over the recruits during the flight. She chortled as Jim mocked the cadets from the night before, and then sent them death glares as they tried to give her a dirty look. He sat down as she took her place, standing at the end of his row. She'd be able to see everyone from here. Finally, the one they'd been waiting for arrived.

"You need a doctor-"

"I _told_ you people, I don't need a doctor, dammit, I am a doctor."

"You need to get back to your seat-"

"I had one! In the bathroom, with no windows!"

"You need to get back to your seat _now-_"

"I suffer from Aviaphobia, 'case you don't understand big words, it means 'fear of dying in something that flies!" Jenny chose this moment to walk up.

"Is there a problem?" She directs at the two, who are now standing next to Jim.

"Well, in case you weren't listenin', darlin', I suffer from Aviaphobia, I don't suppose you know what that is?"

"Aviaphobia, fear of flight, or more specifically, fear of dying to due flight. And it's not 'darlin', sir, its Lieutenant Commander Jennifer T. Kirk to you. Now," She reached up and put hand on his shoulder, applying about half the pressure for a Vulcan Nerve Pinch, which was enough to cause difficulty breathing and severe pain. His knees gave out underneath him, "Sit. Down." He finally collapsed in to the chair next to her brother. She turned and looked at him, "Keep an eye on this one for me, please. I got a feeling he's going to require two eyes, and not just the one I can spare." Jim nodded as the man Jenny knew as Dr. Leonard McCoy started buckling his seatbelt. She returned to her post, still able to overhear their conversation.

"I might throw up on you." She turned away to hide her smile.

"I think these things're pretty safe—"Jim started.

"Don't pander to me, kid: one tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds - solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats - Hell, some of the damn passengers are blue. And wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding- space is disease and danger, wrapped in darkness and silence."

"I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space."

"Yeah, well my ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce, I got nowhere to go but up. Leonard McCoy."

"Jim Kirk. You really gonna throw up-?"

"Maybe."

Upon arriving at Starfleet, Jenny is greeted by Spock, who asks if she would like to take her old job back. She agrees, once again, but this time warns him that she will not be able to stay on permanently as she has agreed to serve onboard the Enterprise as soon as she's finished. Spock then tells her that this will be no problem, as he has also agreed to serve onboard the Enterprise, but as her First Officer.

Jenny spends a lot of the next three years keeping James and McCoy out of trouble as much as possible. Although, several times she wonders why she's saving McCoy, as he's two years older than her and ought to be more mature, but then finds out it's because he only has backbone when he's pissed off or incredibly frightened. Aside from those two extremes, he's a rather easy push-over, and simply follows Jim's lead, griping all the way. What Jenny doesn't know is that McCoy actually has more spine than she realizes, and doesn't simply follow what he's told, but often argues with Jim three, four, sometimes five times about his actions, and only goes along with it to make sure that James doesn't severely hurt himself.

Spending four years in the almost-constant presence of a Vulcan, and spending three years not very long before that in a consistent presence of the same Vulcan, you tend to pick up on moods and little odd behaviors. People who saw them would comment that they must not be very good friends since they rarely look, or even speak to each other in public.

The only person on campus who knew better was Jenny's only other friend, Captain Pike. He knew that the reason why they almost never spoke was because they had gotten to the point of being so incredibly intimate with each other (in the most platonic way possible, as neither had any sort of romantic feelings for the other), that words had simply become unnecessary. She was the emotion to his calm, the yin to his yang. If one wanted to ask Jenny a question, but happened to run into Spock, it would be just a prudent to ask him as he would be able to give a suitable answer, and vice versa.

They had rubbed off on each other in more than one way. The excited, emotionally-damaged, eager to prove herself young girl that had dived out of her step father's car at the last second before sending it over a cliff had been calmed down and healed somewhat by her withdrawn, equally emotionally-damaged, and even more eager to prove himself young Vulcan friend. He had become more sociable, more pleasant to converse with, and a bit more sensitive to the emotions of those surrounding him when he spoke. She, on the other hand, had been taught by the Vulcan emotional control, and mental relaxation (aka: meditation) techniques, along with some self-defense.

The meditation had worked wonders for her anxiety, but even with working night and day, she still struggled with a deeply rooted anger issue. Spock eventually sat her down and had a very, very long talk with her, and discovered that her anger stemmed from a deep, bitter resentment towards her parents. Her father for dying before she even got to know the man who's shadow she would spend the rest of her life living in, the public for forcing her into that shadow, her mother for letting it go on _and_ marrying an abusive bastard who didn't deserve her, and most importantly, at herself for not protecting James from it all better than she had. Spock deduced at this point the only things that would ever be able to heal these hurts would be a long conversation involving herself, her mother and James, a lot of time, and a loving man she could lean on who would understand what she was going through. Speaking none of this aloud, Spock decided to simply stop teaching her the techniques that would help her manage her anger, but still encouraged her whenever it was brought up to keep practicing.

As the reader can imagine, suddenly having James back in her life was a confusing and trying time, for both parties. They agreed to meet twice a week for lunch, Dr. McCoy joining them when he was able. A certain animosity always hung in the air around them (due to their first meeting and her performing a Vulcan Nerve Pinch on him), and even for McCoy, he was rude to her. They would almost always argue about _something_, from very important things, like the morality of controlling the Earth's weather systems, to which is better, black pepper or white. James would sit quietly and enjoy the show, as the two could argue for hours. He always thought, in the back of his mind, that the two would be cute together, but he never voiced this opinion, knowing he could get slapped, punched, or worse. He did know, however, that Jenny did find his friend attractive, as he would catch her staring at McCoy when the doctor wasn't looking.

With Jim and Jenny, though, things were very hard on the both of them. For him, he still wanted her to be the excitable 18-year-old who'd left home eight years ago. He found it hard to accept her changes, and how she'd grown up a lot without him. For her, however, it was hard seeing him without being reminded of all the pain she'd thought she'd dealt with and put past her. Spock suggested that the only reasonable explanation was that she had dealt with it when she was alone. Now that there was a constant reminder here with her, she would simply have to adjust. It would take a while, and would probably require more meditation (as if she had time), but in the end, it would be worth reestablishing the long-dead relationship she'd had with her brother.

That doesn't mean, however, that his attempts at the Kobayashi Maru test didn't crack her up. She and Spock had designed the test together. The idea of it being on a fake-bridge was her idea in the first place. They had spent her last year at the academy designing the idea and the program for it, while he spent his last year (while she was on the _USS Farragut_) building and testing it to make sure it was flawless. It was during the following year, when they had accepted their teaching positions, that they got it cleared by the Academy Council and built the full-on, life-size, realistic version of it. She knew better than anyone how completely unbeatable it was, as that aspect of the test had _also_ been her idea. Spock had disagreed at first, as what was the point of an unbeatable test, but after some explaining (or 'convincing', as some would put it), he agreed.

"We are receiving a distress signal from the U.S.S. Kobayashi Maru. The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them." Lieutenant Uhura, an exceptional Xenologist who Jenny knew was secretly dating Spock, stated from memory, a hint of resentment coloring her voice.

"Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them… Captain." Jenny grins at her brother from the observation window overhead. Her smile broadens at McCoy's not-so-hidden eye roll. Her eyes linger on the doctor a few heartbeats longer than is necessary before turning around and returning to Spock's side to watch one of the monitors showing data on the program.

"Klingon vessels have entered the Neutral Zone. And they are firing upon us." Leonard reports from a console.

"That's okay." Jim replies casually, causing everyone to look at him, confused.

"It's okay?" McCoy asks, skeptical.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Inside the control booth, all Jenny can hear are their voices. However, a rather vivid imagination gives her a pretty safe bet on the expressions of the crewmembers inside the bridge. She doesn't even have to glance up to guess at the ones on the test administrator's who are observing them from the observation windows.

"Did he say "don't worry about it"?" One asks the other.

"Is he not taking this simulation seriously?" Jenny gets the feeling that the question is more directed at her than anyone else, but focuses on the panel in front of her.

"Three more Klingon Warbirds decloaking, and targeting our ship. I don't suppose this is a problem either?" McCoy again.

"Nah."

"They're firing, Captain." The Weapon's Officer who Jenny doesn't know tells his 'Captain'.

"Alert medical bay to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship." Jim directs at someone.

"And how do you expect us to rescue them when we're surrounded by Klingons?" Uhura asks.

"Alert medical." Is all he says in response.

"Our ship is being hit, shields at sixty percent." McCoy reports again.

"I understand."

"Should we at least, I dunno, fire back?"

"Mmmm... No." That's when she hears it. The dead giveaway.

"Of course not." Jenny whispers so softly beneath her breath, an onlooker would think she was talking to herself, but Spock who stands next to her knows better.

"He's got something up his sleeve. An ace-in-the-hole we don't know about."

"How do you know?" He asks, just as quietly.

"The apple. It's his giveaway. When he knows that he's eliminated any chance of losing, he eats. Specifically, fruit. He knows something we don't." A brief pause.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jennifer sighs.

"No. It's too late by now. Any chance we had has already long since past. We just get to enjoy the ride to his moment of glory."

And just then something uploads and executes all the screens in the observation room. On the bridge, the system dies, all the screens go black, and everyone reacts.

"What's this? What the hell is going on?" One of the test administrator's asks. Jenny shoots Spock a knowing look.

"The Kobayashi Maru is still in distress... but... the Klingons have stopped firing." Uhura says with confusion.

"Arm photons. Prepare to fire on the Klingon Warbirds." James orders.

"Jim, their shields are up." McCoy again.

"Are they?" The younger Kirk asks, a pause as Jenny goes over to the window to watch.

"No they're not." She can see the confusion on the Doctor's face, and shares it, although not as willing to admit defeat just yet.

"Fire on all enemy ships, one photon each should do – let's not waste ammunition."

"Target lock acquired on all Warbirds – firing!" All five Klingon ships are destroyed instantly. All mouths are agape.

"Begin rescue of the stranded crew. So. We've eliminated all enemy ships, no one on board was injured and the successful rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew is underway." For the first time, he looks up to the testing room windows.

"How the hell'd that kid beat your test?" One of the test administrators asks both Jenny and Spock.

" ... I do not know."

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><p><strong>Alright, done with the first. I wrote most of this in one day. =**

**Review please! =D**


	2. Chapter 2

Now, there are a few things you should know about Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Tabitha Kirk. First, she's almost the twin of her younger brother as far as looks. A darker shade of blonde hair that reaches her mid-section and electric blue eyes. Body-type, though? A bit different. He's built like a fighter, ready to get into a brawl at any moment. She, on the other hand, didn't choose that path. She was enlisted in a dancing program by their mother by the time she was four, and walked with a grace that showed she'd kept up with it. In fact, she stayed with her dance class until she left for Starfleet, and while she was there, she joined the Academy's dance team that competed against MIT and Oxford. They won every year she was on that team.

Second thing, she's also got her brother's genius. She had the highest scores on her aptitude test of her class. She reads at a rate of nearly 500 words per minute. But, like her brother, she has a bit of a reluctance to show it. She's spent her entire life being an outcast because of what happened when she was four years old. In her opinion, she doesn't need to give her peers a reason to ostracize her further.

The difference between her and her brother is sex. Both of them have a nigh-on-uncontrollable sex drive. James doesn't bother trying to control it; he turns on the charm full blast. Jen has the same charm, but Spock taught her, through meditation, how to control herself.

A bell dongs twice, bringing Jen out of her revere.

"This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter. James T. Kirk, step forward." A pause, and Jennifer freezes in her seat. She refuses to look at Spock from where she sits in front of him. "Cadet Kirk," the Academy President continues as James gets up, "Evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting that you violated the Ethical Code of Conduct pursuant to regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin, sir?" Another uncomfortable pause.

"Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly." The President nods towards the crowd, and Jenny doesn't have to look. She can hear the ruffle of moving cloth directly behind her. Spock just stood up and straightened his shirt. She avoids Jim's gaze by looking at the curiously green girl (she's guessing is an Orion) sitting a row ahead of her.

"Step forward, please." Spock heads for the front, Jenny still not looking. "This is Commander Spock, one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the last four years." Another pause. "Commander?"

"Cadet Kirk, you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine in the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test."

"Your point being?"

"In academic vernacular, you cheated."

"Now let me ask you something I think we all know the answer to: the test is rigged, isn't it? You programmed it to be unwinnable."

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario-"James cuts him off.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios-"Spock returns the favor, while Jenny becomes more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"Then not only have you violated the rules, you've failed to understand the principle lesson."

"Please, enlighten me."

"You, of all people should know, Cadet Kirk - A captain cannot cheat death." Both Kirk's can sense where this is going, and both are becoming very pissed off.

"'I of all people?'"

"Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, had assumed command of his vessel before killed in action, did he not?" Jennifer is now outright glaring at Spock's back. They _will_ be discussing this later.

"I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test."

"Furthermore, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test."

"Enlighten me again."

"The purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear and maintain command of one's self and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain." A small pause as James digests this, and somewhere, a door opens. A nameless officer in grey appears with a data PADD, muttering an 'excuse me, sir', and handing it off to the Academy President. There's another pause.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets, report to Shuttle Hangar One immediately. Dismissed."

Everyone stood, James and Spock forgotten, and turned to leave. Well, everyone except Jenny, who waited for both men. Spock reached her first, tapped her elbow, and she hesitantly followed him out, giving Jim a small wave over her shoulder. Unfortunately, looking back for too long to see him give her a slight smile, she tripped over one of the steps, completely embarrassing herself. She was glad there was almost no one in the room to catch that.

Jennifer is handed a data PADD on her way out, telling her which group she's going to be assigning, as none of the cadets have been officially assigned to a starship yet. Flicking through the names, she's grateful to not have any names on there she recognizes. However, she is accompanying Spock when he's being harassed by Lieutenant Uhura about her posting.

"Commanders, a word?" She asks as they serpentine through the crowd.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Spock answers.

"Was I not one of your top students?" Knowing where this is going, Jennifer elects to stay quiet.

"Indeed you were –"

"—and did I not, on multiple occasions, demonstrate exceptional aural sensitivity and, I quote, "unparalleled ability to identify sonic anomalies" in subspace transmission tests?"

"Consistently, yes—"

"And while you were well aware that my unqualified desire was to serve on the _U.S.S. Enterprise_, I was assigned to the _Farragut_?" At this, Jenny raises an eyebrow. "Not that there's anything wrong with the _Farragut,_ but I do wish to serve on the flagship of the fleet." Spock, meanwhile, reacts unusually; he seems almost embarrassed.

"It was an attempt to avoid the appearance of favoritism."

"No, I am assigned to the _Enterprise._"

Their eyes hold. Jenny looks back in forth between them, feeling the tension mount, and wondering who will win out this time. Suddenly, Spock checks his tablet, and makes a change.

"Yes, I believe you are."

"Thank you." Is all she says as the two Commander's maneuver away.

They board one of the many shuttle crafts bound for the Enterprise. It's relatively quiet, as everyone's feeling rather tense. Captain Pike sits up at the front, alone, and staring at the window. Spock and Jen sit right behind him, her gently gripping his wrist. She would grab his hand, but knows that that would have… undesirable consequences.

They climb off, again, in relative silence. Pike takes off in one direction by himself, while Spock and Jenny (who's talking into a communicator) move towards the turbolift, occasionally being stopped and asked questions. She spots McCoy half-carrying someone down one of the hallways, but they quickly move away before she can get to them. Spock comes up behind her just then, and the two get on the turbolift and head for the bridge.

"Mr. Spock, Miss Kirk." Says a familiar voice. He takes his position at the Science Console while Jennifer heads for the Captain, saluting Pike.

"Captain, Engineering reports 'ready for launch'." She then leaves to sit next to Spock at the adjacent Engineering console, as their Captain walks past, addressing the entire room.

"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, the maiden voyage of our newest flagship deserves more pomp and circumstance than we can afford today; her christening will just have to be our reward for a safe return. Carry on" He sits in his chair, and toggles the ship-wide intercom. "All decks, this is Captain Pike. Prepare for immediate departure. Helm, thrusters."

"Moorings retracted, Captain. Dock Control reports ready. Thrusters fired, separating from space dock." Reports the Helmsman who Jen doesn't know. He sounds too young to be on the flagship of the Federation's fleet… but, then again, was anyone on here old enough, other than her Captain? "The fleet's cleared space dock, Captain. All ships ready for warp."

"Set course for Vulcan."

"Aye aye, Captain. Course laid in."

"Maximum warp. Punch it." The fleet takes off, while the _Enterprise_… just sits there. Awkwardly. Both Spock and Jenny turn around in their seats to look. She can hear the laugh behind the Captain's words. "Lieutenant, where's Helmsman McKenna?"

"He has lungworms, sir. He couldn't report to his post. I'm Hikaru Sulu.

"And you are a pilot, right?"

"Very much so, sir. I'm uh, I'm not sure what's wrong, here…" Pike turns around and gives Spock and Jen a look.

"Is the parking brake on?" She chokes back a laugh as Sulu tries to reply with a straight face. Captain Christopher Pike is not someone to mess up in front of. Jennifer T. Kirk knows this from personal experience.

"Uh, no, I'll figure it out-"

"Have you disengaged the External Inertial Dampener?" Spock interrupts. Another awkward pause as Sulu suddenly hits a few buttons.

"Ready for warp, sir."

"Let's punch it."

This time, they _do_ take off.

Jen breaths a small sigh of relief, as for half a minute, she was afraid something was wrong with the engines and she'd have to go all the way down to Engineering and fix some drastic problem and make them late for the rendezvous at Vulcan. However, they manage to get to warp and head off.

"Engines at maximum warp, Captain."

"Russian whiz kid, what's your name again? Chanko? Cherpov?"

"Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, sir." Responds the much-too-young Ensign sitting next to Sulu.

"Fine, Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, begin ship-wide mission broadcast."

"Yessir, happy to." He struggles for a few minutes with the voice recognition software as it has trouble accepting 'wictor-wictor' instead of 'victor-victor' due to his heavy Eastern European accent, but he manages. "Your attention, please: At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected an anomaly in the Neutral Zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from the Vulcan High Council that their planet was experiencing seismic activity. We then lost contact with Vulcan entirely. Our mission is to assess the condition of Vulcan and assist in evacuations, if necessary. We should be arriving at Vulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time." Everything's quiet for the few minutes before they arrive at Vulcan… until…

"Captain Pike, sir, we have to stop the ship!" James yells as he, Dr. McCoy, and Lieutenant Uhura run onto the bridge. Both Jen and Spock stand up and step closer.

"Mr. Kirk, how the hell did you get on board the _Enterprise_?" Pike says angrily, getting to his feet. McCoy starts to take responsibility for bringing Jim onboard, but he overrides the doctor.

"Vulcan isn't experiencing a natural disaster; it's being attacked by Romulans."

"Romulans? Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy, take him back to medical, we'll have words later."

"Aye Captain." McCoy tries to get James to turn around, but he's already taken three steps up to get closer to Pike.

"Look sir, that same anomaly – "But Spock's now stepped forward, too.

"As you know, Mr. Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel. By Starfleet regulations, that makes him a stowaway..."

"Look, I get it, you're a great arguer, and I'd love to do it again with you, too."

"I can remove the cadet from the bridge, Sir—"

"—Try it! This cadet is trying to save the bridge!"

"—by recommending a full stop in trans-warp in the midst of a rescue mission?"

"—it's not a rescue mission, listen to me, it's an attack!"

"— based on what facts?" Jen's glad they've finally stopped, as the constant going back and forth was starting to give her a headache. There's a long pause.

"That same anomaly, a lighting storm in space that we saw today also occurred on the day of my birth, before a Romulan ship attacked the U.S.S. Kelvin." He turns and addresses the Captain, "You know that, sir, I read your dissertation." He focuses back on Spock, "That ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again." Again, Pike, "The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space and at 2300 hours last night there was an attack. 47 Klingon Warbirds destroyed by Romulans, sir, and it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship."

"And you know of this Klingon attack how?" There's a pause, and all three men turn to look at Lieutenant Uhura, who Jennifer is just standing next to.

"Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate."

"We're warping into a trap- there are Romulans waiting for us, I promise you that." A long pause as everyone stares at Pike, waiting for his decision. He looks at Spock.

"The cadet's logic is sound." A pause, then, "And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in Xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion." Another small pause.

"Captain, if Cadet Kirk is correct…" Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Kirk starts slowly, "Which it sounds like he is, we're in more trouble than you have yet to fully realize." Everyone's staring at her now, "I can still remember. If it's those same Romulans, I'll be able to recognize them." He nods at her, and then turns to the Communications officer, who sits on the other side of the doorway from where Spock sits.

"Scan Vulcan space, check if any transmissions are being made in Romulan."

"Sir, I'm not sure if I could distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan." Pike turns to Uhura.

"How about you, you speak Romulan, Cadet…?"

"Uhura, sir. All three dialects."

"Uhura, relieve the Lieutenant. Mr. Hannity, hail the _U.S.S. Truman_."

"The other ships are out of warp and have arrived at Vulcan, Sir, but we seem to have lost all contact –"

"Captain, I pick up no Romulan transmissions – or transmissions of any kind in the area. There seems to be something jamming all communication around Vulcan.

"It's because they're being attacked. Captain. Please." A long, tense beat.

"Shields up. Ready all weapons." Jen pulls a ribbon from her pocket, and ties her hair up behind her head, then takes her seat next to Spock as the room is bathed in red light.

"Arrival at Vulcan in five seconds! Four… three… two…" The ship lurches out of warp, only to be met with the flaming hull of another starship flying straight for them.


	3. Chapter 3

"EMERGENCY EVASIVE!" Sulu sends the ship into a dive, narrowly avoiding the debris. They dodge some more until they meet with the massive form of the hull of yet another ship. "Full reverse, come about Starboard ninety degrees! Drop us down underneath them, Sulu!" They're nearly hit full-on, instead just scratching the top of the hull. The bridge shakes, but rights itself.

Then, suddenly, that image that had burned itself into Jen's memory almost twenty-five years ago appears again, this time, in front of everyone. She snaps her eyes shut and turns away from the view screen, feeling bile rising in her throat. There's a long pause.

"Commander Kirk," says the Captain over his shoulder, "Is that the Romulan ship that destroyed the _U.S.S. Kelvin_?" She nods fervently, her head between her knees.

"That would be an affirmative, Captain." Spock replies for her. She holds up a hand as Jim suddenly appears next to her, worrying like a hen.

"I'm fine, I just wasn't prepared for that." She sits up right, straightens her shirt, and Jim gives her a hug.

"Captain, they're locking torpedoes." Spock reports, checking his console.

"Divert auxiliary power, report the cells to forward shields!" Her fingers fly across the board in front of her, but it doesn't help. The torpedoes rip through the shields and the hull of the ship like it's nothing. The bridge shakes much more violently, but everyone manages to right themselves. "Sulu, status report!"

"Shields at thirty-two percent! Their weapons are powerful, sir, we can't take another hit like that!"

"Get me Starfleet command!"

"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. It's signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities." Spock, again, reports.

"All power to forward shields, prepare to fire all weapons." Before the Enterprise can fire, though, Uhura stands.

"Captain, we're being hailed." An enlarged image of a Romulan's face appears on the screen.

"Hello." He says. Jennifer grips the sides of her chair.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike, to whom am I speaking?"

"Hello Christopher, I'm Nero." He says as though this is a friendly conversation.

"You've declared war against the Federation, withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral loc-"

"I do not speak for the Empire." Nero replies. "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right, Spock?" The Commander stands as everyone looks at him.

"Pardon me, I do not believe that you and I are acquainted." Jenny gets up and stands just behind Spock.

"No, we're not… not yet." A sense of foreboding goes through Jen's system, "Spock, there's something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, come aboard the _Narada_ for negotiations. That is all." He disappears, and now everyone looks at Pike, who stands slowly.

"He'll kill you, y'know that?"

"Your survival is unlikely."

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy, going over to that ship is a mistake."

"I, too, suggest you rethink your strategy."

… What is _with_ these two and their back-and-forth?

"I understand that…" Pike says quietly to the two of them, but then speaks loudly to the whole crew, "I need officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat."

"I have training, sir." Sulu says, a hand raised.

"I as well, Captain." Jen steps forward. Pike points at her.

"No. I need you to stay here and man the Conn."

"Aye, Captain." Jenny replies a bit disgruntled, and sits in the Captain's chair. Pike looks over at Sulu.

"Come with me. Kirk, you too, you're not supposed to be here anyway." Spock, McCoy, Sulu, and Jim follow the Captain out. Spock returns alone a few minutes later. Jen stands up.

"Commander Kirk, please relieve the Ensign at the Science console." She nods and goes to sit there, listening to Spock as he activates the intercom in the Captain's chair. "Doctor Puri, report."

"It's McCoy! Dr. Puri was on Deck 6, he's dead." A beat.

"Then you have just inherited his duties as Chief Medical Officer." Jen tries to ignore how her heart skips a beat and the worry bubbles up inside her over her… friend. Arch-enemy. Whatever.

"Tell me something I don't know!" There's a moment where everything's quiet, and then a beeping sound resonates on the bridge.

"Away team is entering the atmosphere, sir." Chekov reports. "Approaching the platform at 5800 meters."

"Kirk to Enterprise, distance to target: 5000 meters."

"4600 meters to platform!" They go back and forth, counting down the distance, until Chekov says with astonishment, "O-Olsen is gone, sir!" Another small pause, "Kirk has landed, sir." Jen releases the breath she was holding. A few minutes go by, and then chaos again.

"The jamming signal's gone! Transporter abilities are reestablished." Uhura reports from her station.

"Transporter control is reengaged, sir."

"Chekov, run gravitation sensors, I want to know what they were doing to the planet."

"Aye, Commander, ach, Keptain, sorry, Keptain."

"Kirk to Enterprise," James comes over the intercom, "They just launched something into the planet through the whole they just drilled. Do you copy, Enterprise?" What Jim doesn't realize is that everyone on the bridge is all talking at once, as everyone has come to realize something is very, very wrong with Vulcan. Warning alarms are all going off, and the whole place is a nuthouse as fingers fly across screens.

"Keptain: gravitational sensors are off the scale. If my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity... that will consume the planet." A long pause as Jen turns around and stares openly at Spock, realizing the full impact of the Ensign's words. She can sense her friend's own shock and worry.

"They're creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?"

"Yes sir."

"How long does the planet have?"

"Minutes, sir, minutes." Spock stands and goes to Uhura.

"Alert Vulcan High Command to signal a planet wide evacuation, all channels all frequencies. Maintain standard orbit. Commander Kirk, you have the Conn." Jen gets up and sits in the Captain's chair yet again.

"Spock, wait!" Uhura says, right behind them. "Where are you going?"

"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council, they are tasked with protecting our cultural history, my parents will be among them."

"Can't you beam them out?"

"It is impossible, they will be in the Katric Ark, I will have to get them myself." The doors close, and so does the connection between the two friends.

"Kirk to Enterprise, beam us outta here!"

"Standby, locking on your signal." Says a voice through the intercom that Jen guesses is the transporter controller. "I can't lock onto you, don't move, don't move!"

"Kirk to Enterprise, we're falling without a shoot! Beam us up!"

"I'm trying, I can't lock onto your signal! You're moving too fast!"

"I can do that…" Chekov says, quietly at first, "I can do that!" Jen's on her feet already.

"Go, Chekov, go! Uhura, take the Conn!" She follows him out, and the two run down the corridors.

"Move, move, move! I can do that, I can do that, move, move, move!" Chekov says as they race down to the transporter pad, "Gimme manual control! I can lock on! " The woman almost flies out of their way, and Jen stands behind Chekov as he sits down.

"BEAM US UP! Enterprise, where are you?"

"Holdonholdonholdholdon-"

"NOWNOWNOW! DO IT NOW! NOWNOWNOW!"

"Okayokayokay, holdonholdon, compensating gravitation pull, aaannnddd… GOT'CHA!" Chekov stands up with glee as two forms beam unceremoniously onto the platform floor. It's James and Sulu! Jen hugs Chekov, kisses him, and then runs up onto the platform.

"Thanks." Sulu says, as she helps them up, hugging both of them.

"No problem."

"Clear the pad." Spock says, attaching a belt around his waist. "I'm beaming down to the surface."

"The surface of what? What, you're going down there? Spock, you can't do that!"

"Energize!"

"SPOCK!" Too late. With a whirl of light, he disappeared. The three go and stand behind Chekov, and a moment later, Spock's on the intercom.

"Enterprise, get us out now."

"Locking volume, _don't move,_ stay right where you are. Transport in five, four, three, two… I'm losing her! I'm losing her, I'm losing her!" He suddenly gets very quiet as his hands slide off the control, "I lost…"

It's obvious by the way that he starts to quietly ramble the same words of 'I lost' over and over again, Spock's arm outstretched, and one form half transporting onto the platform before disappearing again, that someone was left behind. The trip to the bridge is quiet, and they all make it in time to watch Vulcan be consumed by a black hole.

The next few hours seem even quieter. The loss of Vulcan hits everyone in their own ways. Most of the crew were not close to a Vulcan themselves, by and large its shock that someone would be capable of genocide on such a grand scale. The galaxy, to Jen, seems that much darker without Vulcan, as she had always seen the race of the logical to be something of a lamppost to help guide the way. On top of this is the grief that Spock silently bears, that she herself must _not_ buckle beneath.

"Acting Captain's log. Stardate 2258.42: We have had no word from Captain Pike. I have therefore classified him a hostage of the war criminal known as Nero. Nero, who has destroyed my home planet, and most of its six billion inhabitants. While the essence of our culture has been saved in the Elders who now reside upon this ship, I estimate no more than ten thousand survived. I am now a member of an endangered species." He clicks off the recorder and stands up, heading for the turbolift. He nods once at Jen, who assumes command, since, as far as she knows, there is no First Officer. Uhura follows him, but comes back almost right away. When he returns, nothing's changed.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock asks as he comes aboard the bridge.

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain." Uhura responds.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Kirk sits in the Captain's chair with McCoy standing over his shoulder. Jen sits at the Science console, having assumed command of it now that Spock has other responsibilities. Spock wanders the bridge, hands clasped behind his back.

"Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target."

"Out of the chair." Spock says patiently, making Jen smirk.

"Well, if the Federation is the target, why didn't they destroy us?" Chekov asks.

"Why would they? Why waste a weapon? We obviously weren't a threat." Sulu responds.

"That is not it." Spock corrects, heading for the view screen, "He said he wanted me to see something: the destruction of my home planet."

"How the hell did they do that, by the way? Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?" Jen made a point of pushing out the thoughts about McCoy's incredibly sexy Southern accent.

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer: such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space time."

"Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist! Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?"

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbably, must be the truth."

"How poetic." The Doctor replies.

"Then what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jim asks.

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses."

"What we need to do is catch up to that ship, disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

"We are technologically outmatched in every way; a rescue attempt would be illogical."

"Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake them."

"Then what about assigning Engineering crews to try and boost our warp yield?"

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair the radiation leaks on the lower decks and damage to the main deflector shield." Jen says, finally engaging in the conversation. "Jim, I designed and built those damn engines myself. I made them as fast as possible. The only way to get more yields out of them would be to get a specialist. I used to know one, but no one's heard from him since he accidentally made Admiral Archer's prized beagle disappear."

"There's gotta be some way." James tries again.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance out the terms of the next engagement."

"There won't be a 'next engagement', Spock. By the time we've 'gathered', it'll be too late. How many planets are you willing to risk? You say he's from the future? Knows what's gonna happen? Then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"You're assuming Nero knows how events are going to unfold." Spock says.

"Nero's presence has altered the flow of time, Jim." Jen pipes up, trying to keep the placating tone out of her voice.

"Yes, beginning with the attack on the _U.S.S. Kelvin_, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party." A stunned Uhura steps forward.

"An alternate reality…"

"Precisely." Both Spock and Jen say at the same time. "Whatever our lives we might have lived, if the time continuum was disrupted… our destinies have changed." A pause as everyone lets the Captain's words sink in. "Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor three."

"Spock, don't do that." James tries again, "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a-a confab is a massive waste of time!"

"These were the orders Captain Pike issued when he left the ship-"

"He also gave us orders to go back and get him! Spock, you are Captain now-"

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Mr. Kirk-"

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target-"

"That is correct, and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command."

"I will not allow us to go backwards, away from the problem, instead of hunting Nero down!"

"Security, escort him out." Two redshirts grab Jim from behind. Jen, who's been standing next to McCoy, turns around and puts her face in his shoulder, refusing to look. She feels his hand go to her shoulder and squeeze it softly. She doesn't look when she hears the sounds of a struggle, not even when there's three loud thumps to the ground, or when the doctor calls out to her brother, or when Spock finally says, "Get him off this ship." She will not look. McCoy finally has to escort her off the bridge, and lets her sit in Sick Bay while he double-checks the bandages on the Vulcan High Council. She stares at the ground, distantly, hurt by the actions of her best friend and her brother, and unable to resolve the issue in her own mind. She can feel someone's presence next to her.

"Hey, kid, you alright?" McCoy asks a bit gruffly. She looks over at him, and sees that he's pretending to be reading a PADD, while frequently glancing over at her from underneath his eyelashes. She doesn't answer at first. "He's just an idiot, you know." She chuckles.

"Which one?" He smiles. The first time she'd ever seen him smile since they met. She has to look away to remind herself how to breathe. "Yeah, I just have a bit of a migraine." A hand containing two small white pills suddenly appears under her nose. She chuckles again. "Thanks."

"I'm a doctor, it's my job." A pause. "I'm sure that wasn't easy on you. Watching that go down, I mean." A mirthless grin appears on her face.

"On top of everything else, my brother goes and gets himself marooned. Smooth, Jim, very smooth." He clears his throat.

"Well, if there's anything you need, just uh, let me know." A long pause.

"A glass of water would be great." His smile reappears, and she can't think.

"Sure. I have to attend to Spock's father, so I'll be back in a minute." He notices the distant look returning to her face. "Hang in there, kid. It'll be alright in the end." A few minutes later, he returns with her water, during which she mused that it was probably the first conversation they'd ever had that didn't result in an argument or one of them getting hurt.

"The Captain wants to see us on the bridge." She takes the medication, and then nods. "The medication will get rid of the migraine, but it'll make you a bit disorientated, so I'll do the talking, alright?" The way he said it like they were a team… it was so foreign. He was supposed to be her arch-nemesis (or so her inner 7-year-old had dubbed him)! Spock was supposed to be her ally! When did the roles suddenly get reversed? The anger flashes behind her eyes as her and McCoy head for the turbolift. Oh, yeah, when he betrayed them by marooning Jim.

"You wanted to see us?" McCoy asks when they make their appearance on the bridge. Spock stands.

"Yes." He leads them to a more private side of the room, "I'm aware that James Kirk is a friend of yours, and your younger brother," Jen avoids Spock's eyes, something which she knows he doesn't miss. After a long, tense moment, she, unlike McCoy, can hear the disappointment in his voice, "Supporting me, as you did, must have been difficult."

"… Are you thanking us?" The doctor asks.

"I am simply acknowledging your difficulties." Another tense moment.

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

"I welcome it." Jen smirks, knowing exactly what's coming.*

"Do you? Okay then: are you out of your Vulcan mind?" Her smirk turns into a full blown smile and she tries not to laugh, "Are you making the logical choice, sending Kirk away? Maybe. The right one? Y'know, back home we got a saying, 'If you're gonna run in the Kentucky Derby, don't leave your prize stallion in the stable'."

"A curious metaphor, doctor, as a stallion must be broken before it can reach its potential." She restrains the urge to punch him.

"My God, man! You could at least act like it was a hard decision!" Jenny doesn't know where that suddenly came from, but by the way one of his hands suddenly brushes up against hers, she guesses that it was meant about her.

"I intend to assist in the effort to reestablish communication with Starfleet. However, if crew morale would be better served by my roaming the halls, weeping, I will gladly defer to your medical expertise." Her smile drops off her face. That was as pointed as Spock's ears. "Excuse me." He shuffles past them, stopping for half a second to look at her, trying to get her eyes to meet his, but she stares at McCoy's shoes. He says something to her, softly and in Vulcan, and then moves away. Leonard, whose blood is boiling, throws an arm around her shoulders and leads her away.

"Green-blooded hobgoblin." He mutters beneath his breath.

* * *

><p><strong>*Exactly what I did when I saw this the first time. I was like, "LOL ur a noob, Spock" XD<strong>


End file.
